Choice Champions Helping explain personal budgets / direct payments to you

Introduction The Choice Champions scheme was developed by Wokingham Borough Council to help people new to self-directed support understand what it is like to have a personal budget.

Introduction A group of social care customers who have person budgets and a carer of a disabled person with a personal budget were trained as Choice Champions to help others who are new to self directed support. As the Choice Champions have a first hand experience of self-directed support, they are best placed to help others understand what it is like to have a personal budget.

What is involved? The Choice Champions scheme was introduced in 2010 when 14 people with learning and physical disabilities were trained to provide peer support to social care customers in Wokingham borough. The scheme proved to be very successful and in 2011 another group of Choice Champions was trained. There are now 22 Choice Champions

Who are the Choice Champions? The Choice Champions are social care customers with disabilities and mental health problems and a carer looking after a disabled person. The Choice Champions are able to share their experience of personal budgets and offer advice to people who are either receiving assistance from social services for the first time or are switching to the new system of personal budgets.

What did the training involve? Choice Champions received training on a wide range of mentoring and leadership skills including: -building rapport -active listening -asking relevant questions -effective communication -presentation of ideas -networking -turning ideas into actions Choice Champions also took part in a training session on safeguarding vulnerable adults.

What are the roles and responsibilities of Choice Champions?  Peer support – for example, talking to people in day centres and supported living housing about personal budgets and answering their questions about self- directed support  Leadership – promoting personal budgets to other social care customers, carers and providers of support services  Safeguarding – as Choice Champions received training on safeguarding vulnerable adults, they know how to recognise signs of abuse and what to do when they think that someone is being abused

What do the Choice Champions do?  Training for other social care customers and providers of services  Presentations at meetings and events  DVDs, audio CD, facebook  Leaflet  Coffee mornings  Mentoring  And much more!

More information? For more information, please contact: Marlena O’Donnell Community Care Development Officer, Wokingham Borough Council Tel: (0118) Find the Choice Champions scheme on facebook!